Key points:
- Ten SMEs share over £950,000 (about €1.14 million) for live trials with GXO, Welch Group, TwentyForty and three UK ports.
- Projects target fuel and charging costs, automation and safety, from aerodynamic trailers to AI damage detection.
- Ten more firms, including an autonomous HGV programme and a 7.5-tonne electric truck maker, join a new growth programme.
Who gets the money
The funding comes from the Freight Innovation Fund, financed by the Department for Transport and run by Connected Places Catapult, a government-backed innovation agency. The latest round, announced on 4 November, moves the fund’s fifth cohort from the drawing board to real depots, fleets and ports.
The trials will run with GXO, Welch Group and TwentyForty, as well as Portsmouth International Port, Port of Tyne and Shoreham Port. Earlier in the process, each start-up could receive up to £10,000 (about €12,000) to prepare a trial plan, and up to £100,000 (about €120,000) to run it. Since 2023, the accelerator has supported 44 real-world trials, and its alumni have raised more than £105 million (about €126 million) in investment.
A trailer that shrinks when it is half empty
The most eye-catching project comes from Aeroflow. Its trailer has side walls that move inwards when the load is light, reducing drag and therefore fuel use and emissions. It will be tested on a track and in everyday fleet operations with GXO and Welch Group, measuring fuel, emissions, reliability and how easy it is to live with.
The idea targets a problem every haulier knows: trucks rarely run full. According to the Department for Transport, around 29% of lorry kilometres in the UK are driven empty, and many more with part loads.
AI that checks for damage
Clearquote Technologies will test AI that detects damage and defects on HGVs and trailers, using photos from a mobile app during walkaround checks and fixed cameras at the depot gate. The trial, with GXO and Sameday Transport, takes place at a GXO depot. For operators, automatic records of a vehicle’s condition could mean fewer disputes over who caused a dent, and defects spotted before a roadside check does.
BuildPrompt, also working with GXO, uses AI to analyse incident reports in any format to find patterns and root causes behind safety risks.
Who charges when: four energy projects
Four of the ten trials deal with the practical side of running electric trucks and equipment:
- TOGL Energy (with Welch Group) schedules depot charging around electricity tariffs, site power limits and departure times.
- MHTech Energies (with TwentyForty) forecasts a day ahead how much charging a depot’s own trucks will need, so spare charger time can be offered to visiting fleets.
- Paua Tech (with GXO, TwentyForty and Welch Group) is building a common booking system for chargers used by commercial fleets.
- Hypergen will test a 15 kW micro gas turbine at Shoreham Port that charges electric forklifts overnight without a new substation, running on propane or HVO.
Limited grid connections at depots are a common obstacle to electrifying trucks, in the UK and elsewhere in Europe, which is why sharing chargers and getting more out of existing connections matters beyond British borders.
Driverless shuttles at a port
Aurrigo will run battery-electric autonomous vehicles carrying people, baggage and freight in mixed traffic at Portsmouth International Port. Moonbility will trial, with TwentyForty, a platform that predicts how roadworks, accidents and delays ripple through road and multimodal freight networks, and ranks possible responses. Biobright’s sensors will monitor water quality, pollution and oil leaks at the three ports.
Ten more firms on the growth track
A further ten companies join a new Venture Growth programme, a four-month pilot of tailored support and access to investors. They include Voltempo, with a programme to help fleets and manufacturers trial autonomous HGVs, Superlight, which develops an all-digital 7.5-tonne electric truck, GoExpress, which combines electric rail and electric HGVs for middle-mile container transport, and Trade Harmonizer, an AI customs compliance platform.
“This year’s extended funding and growth programme means even more companies will be able to invest in new technology,” said Keir Mather, the UK minister for aviation, maritime and logistics.
